hosted by 2 Bags FullI can't believe that it has been a year since Vicki invited us all to her 1st Grow Your Blog Party. I have met so many great people from that event and I am so happy to be a part of the festivities this year as well! If you have been reading my posts, you have already met Cynthia Crane from CynthiaCranesPottery on Etsy.
She also has a shop where she features her artwork on CynthiaCranesArt. I feel like I met another kindred spirit in Cindy and it gives me great pleasure to team up with her this year in our Blog Party Giveaway Extravaganza! To find her very generous giveaways, yes, plural as in three, click on her blog here. But don't forget to come back here!
I also want to thank Vicki for hosting this fun little get together. Little? Oh my, there are hundreds of us now! Vicki and her beautiful blog Two Bags Full are one of the finest examples of what handmade and blogging handmade are all about. In fact, she represents a unique vision we all embrace, which includes sharing our joy in living a creative life.
Here she is in her coat of many colors. She's lovely inside and out!
Cindy contacted me a few months ago. She was working on her beautiful blog, Cynthia Cranes Art and Gardening. She was hoping to build her visitors and introduce all of her beautiful shop items. I fell in love with her work and ordered an adorable mug. From then on, we were buddies with a common cause. So I asked her if she would send me some buttons for a joint giveaway. I worked on a bunch of ideas and finally I ended up creating this pincushion. Best of all- YOU can Win it!
Here is my Giveaway!
The Rules
So how do you go about winning this pincushion? The rules are easy. Just leave a comment below. Be sure to include a way for me to contact you in case you are the big winner. You don't have to become a member of my blog, but I would love to have you. Its a pretty quiet membership. I'm not a social butterfly when it comes to all things Internet. If you leave a comment I sometimes send replies. I promise not to fill you inbox with stuff, (who needs an over flowing inbox?) If you sign up for my newsletter, I'll try to be better about writing them. I just want you to stop by everyone in a while and enjoy what's new here in fiberluscious land. Better yet, read quickly-then get back to creating!
All entries must be in by midnight on February 12th. The winner will be announced on February 15th!
If you are a part of the Grow Your Own Blog Party, please don't hesitate to leave a short shout out about your blog and invite others to visit. This whole party is really a party after all. Mix, mingle and chat and have a great time lifting someone else up!
This pincushion is exclusive for this giveaway. It is 5 1/2 inches square and 2 1/2 inches thick. It has an emery pocket inside to sharpen your pins and needles. The rest of this pincushion is stuffed to the max with new polyester fiberfill. It comes with two glass flower topped pins. It is made of quilting cottons, vintage and new trims, and a beautiful ceramic button by Cynthia Crane. You won't find this in my shop. I wanted to make something special just for this event. I don't know that I could price it for the amount of work that it involved. In fact, I don't even know if I could even do it again if I wanted to! Just too many things learned for this design. So you will have a true one of a kind! You will see these fabrics again in a few different forms, from patchwork to more flowers.
I was so inspired by Cynthia's work. How about that adorable button in the middle of all that happiness?! Too fun indeed.
I wanted to create something warm, fun and cheery to honor her generosity and kindness. I love how it turned out. I hope it becomes a precious collection to your collection and is used often and with much joy!
I think our work just works together-
Oh how nice it was to do something new! I've been so busy with custom orders I haven't had the time to play with all the new fabrics I've been adding to my stash. I love the bright colors, the pretty trims and the movement created by the new techniques I've learned. Here is the other button she sent. I already have ideas for this little beauty. I can't wait to play again soon.
I love how the button sits on top of that fun fabric flower. I got the pattern from a book called Floral Dimensions by Pauline Ineson. I love applique and want to do much more I have time for. This book features 20 different dimensional applique flowers to add to quilt projects. Well, if its good enough for a quilt, its even better on a pincushion! I used her chrysanthemum and primrose patterns. They are easy to do and so sweet! It just takes some pretty fabric cut on the bias, some machine gathering stitches and a bit of hand work to attach it to your foundation. I would share the pattern, but I am a stickler about copyrights so you'll have to pick up the book or see if it is at your local library. If you want to add something new to your work, I think you should take a look and give her techniques a try. (Click on the highlighted title to see this book and its contents)
I also polished up my patchwork skills. Thank you PBS for sharing Eleanor Burnes with us and Quilt in a Day. Oh I just love her "Mrs. Rogers" approach to teaching. Perhaps you may find her a bit syrupy, but I adore her quick tips for quilting. I created a 36 1" square patchwork block and all my seams matched! There is something to her magic.
I plan on using that block for ideas I found in 15 Minutes of Play by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. I recommend this book highly if you are looking for new ideas and a way to find your inner creative diva. Nothing sparkly, except for the feeling you will get in your brain when a world of new ideas open up to you. I can't wait to dig in. I do think it might be hard to take a rotary cutter to all that work, but I am looking forward to discovering something amazing. (Click on the highlighted title to see this book and its contents)
A Bit About Me and how I ended up here, doing this-
I have been making things for as long as I can remember. My mom taught craft classes at our home and she was also an artist and mother of 7 kids. Wow! How did she do it? She is my hero and I adore her. My grandma was equally wonderful. She had the softest hands and one of the warmest hearts on the planet. I spent so many days sitting at her knee as she mended our clothing and talked about family and love. She was an angel and a big inspiration in my work.
I've had my Etsy shop since November of 2009. I began with softies, you know, fun plush monsters and such. I really loved them but they weren't as popular as I had hoped. I did have 6 of them published in Stuffed, A Gathering of Softies by Stampinton and Co. It was thrilling.
I was an illustrator and fine artist for many years and my specialty was portraiture.
I painted landscapes, houses, flowers.....
had some fun.....
and I must admit that some of my work was a bit out there. I loved painting and often miss it.
I have health challenges which affect my eyesight. When it just got too darn frustrating to stand at the easel with coke bottle glasses I had to quit. That is when I began to sew pincushions. I love the size. I love that they are little works of art. Each one is a blank canvas for a plethora of materials and techniques. I may start at my sewing machine but eventually I end up on the couch, listening to the TV and embroidering for hours and hours.
To help my shop along, I started to blog about 3 years ago. I wish I had more time because I really love it. Its my way of talking about my passion and much to my surprise, people actually like to read what I say. I still am amazed by that. I think we all have so much in common. When you begin with something as amazing as creativity its so easy to connect on a deeper level with others.
If you are just starting a blog and/or a shop, I would like to give you a bit of advice. Start with something you love and the joy of working will feed the many hours of marketing and blogging required to be successful in this day and age. Instead of spreading yourself too thin, so what you can and do it well.
My next bit of advice is to reach out to kindred spirits. It will feed your soul and help you to grow. Even when I was little, I used to write to my heroes. Most people, no matter how talented are just people in the end. Most will be very helpful and encouraging. Some will become your friends and that is such a wonderful gift. When someone reaches out to you, grab their hand and you both will rise.
My last bit of advice is to be patient and be diligent. Building a blog, a brand and/or a shop all take time. You will get out what you put in. Its not about luck, its about making opportunities to get lucky. Work hard at what you do and always strive to get better. Believe in your work and stand by it. Spoil your customers rotten. Be kind. Be cheerful and be grateful for your success. In the end there is no better way to make a living. Its more like playing everyday with other people who all like the same sandbox.
I want to thank Vicki for her generous spirit in hosting us. I also would like to thank Bev from 44th Street Fabrics. One day she once reached out to pull me up, I grabbed on tight. She hosted my first giveaway and because of that my blog grew fast and I felt like I belonged. I am forever grateful for her lovely, kind and cheerful soul. Stop by her blog and take a look at her work. She is also incredibly talented!
Bev's Tabletop Farmer's Wife Blocks- aren't' they just so amazing!?!
Well, thank you for stopping by! Don't forget to leave a comment and contact information. If you don't want to leave your email on my blog, you can "convo" me via my Etsy shop Fiberluscious.
Good Luck to you all!
